Sanctuary Offices & Visitor Center Closed to the Public

For the health and safety of our guests, volunteers, and employees, and as a precautionary measure to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), the offices and visitor center will be closed to the public until further notice. We will continue to reassess the situation. We understand this closure is an inconvenience for visitors, and we apologize. Our top priority is the health of our guests who come to learn about Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and the National Marine Sanctuary System, as well as the staff and volunteers who support our visitor center. If you have further questions about the closure and TBNMS, please call 989-884-6200

WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN?

If you love the Great Lakes, join the Friends! Dedicated to sustaining the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s fresh waters and nationally significant collection of more than 200 shipwrecks, the Friends of TBNMS needs your help! Join us in supporting a dynamic range of education, community outreach, and research activities focused on protecting the Great Lakes.

GET INTO YOUR SANCTUARY

Explore the many ways to experience Great Lakes shipwrecks, lighthouses, fossil beds, and more.

by Great Lakes Now Visitors to the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center will be able to view new episodes of Great Lakes Now under a new partnership between the Detroit Public Television initiative and the [...]

The annual Thunder Bay International Film Festival Student Film Competition (TBIFF) challenged students in grades 8-12 to create a five-minute or less film on the theme: #GreatLakesAre. Out of 30+ entries, 13 films were selected [...]

ALPENA, MICH --The Thunder Bay International Film Festival kicks off the 20th anniversary year celebrating the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s (TBNMS) federal designation. TBNMS was officially designated in 2000 as the first freshwater marine [...]